Old-school vibes and live jazz

The vibe

The crowd

The drinks

The service

Our Review

First impression?As soon as you walk in, this colonial-era bar—comfortably secluded inside the Mandarin Oriental hotel—hits you with an unapologetic gentlemen’s club vibe. It ticks all the boxes: leather booths, wood paneling, silver beer tankards, and live jazz.

Cool. So who’s there?If Hong Kong had a Wall Street, this would be its go-to watering hole. On weeknights, Captain’s Bar is teeming with a tailored after-work crowd, some of whom have been wheeling and dealing in the space for more than 50 years. That's because this institution knows how to treat its regulars: Come often enough and you earn the right to display your engraved tankard behind the bar.

How are the drinks?Given the princely price tags, many regulars stick to good old-fashioned beer. The taps include the signature Captain’s Bar Beer—an easy-drinking pilsner with German malt made by local craft brewery Young Master Ales. That said, the bar also does classic cocktails with aplomb (case in point: the Old Fashioned). The bartenders will also happily whip up an off-menu favorite without a hint of side-eye.

Did the staff do you right?The doting servers seem to have a sixth sense—if your face so much as flinches, they’ll swoop in with genuine concern. On weekends, when the bar’s heaving with white collars, cocktails can be a bit slow to roll out, but beer drinkers probably won't notice the lag.

Wrap it up: what are we coming here for?Captain's Bar is a unbeatable choice for most occasions: schmoozing clients, toasting a friend's birthday, or treating a date to smooth jazz and smoother martinis.